Waterwise Book

Imagine a cross between American Splendor and Alice in Wonderland...or imagine a cross between Carl Barks and Carlos Castaneda... In Joel Orff's new graphic novel Waterwise he explores these concepts and many more. This is the story of two old friends who are reunited for one night and wander together through a surreal, vaguely apocalyptic landscape, pondering life, griping about their circumstances, and trying to connect. Along the way they explore the nature of dreams, the fragile facade of civilization and the tenderness of a true friendship.

Publishers Weekly

The cartoonist behind Strum and Drang: Great Moments in Rock `n' Roll, Orff favors moments that are ripe with possibility. His first book-length narrative is a slight but charming evocation of such an instance, one that's particularly sweet. Jim and Emily are childhood friends who meet again, decades later, while on the rebound from breakups; they spend a day together hanging out on a lake, remembering playing in the water when they were younger, and a night at Emily's cabin on its shore. The setup is for a romance (and Orff supplies plenty of moments where you'd expect them to fall into each other's arms or to rip off each other's clothes), but this isn't that kind of story it's a story about friendship and its particular intimacies, and the joys that people who've known each other forever can take in one another's company. Orff's drawings are rough, spacious and vaguely woodcut-like, savoring the odd crinkles of trees and ripples. An early scene shows Jim drawing his ex-girlfriend, adding detail with each line, and it underscores how carefully (and impressionistically) Orff observes his wobbly, scribbly characters and settings. His writing works the same way: there's no moment of revelation, and very little plot, but by book's end readers will understand the depth and dimensions of the bond between these characters. (Sept.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.